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Episode 933: Your Most Elite Emails
Date July 29, 2016 Summary Ben and Sam answer listener emails about player development what-ifs, Aroldis Chapman and elite relievers, a team that could control the weather, Mike Trout and Barry Bonds, and more. Topics * Aroldis Chapman and defining elite relievers * Funny baseball players * Trading players while negotiating extensions * Forcing teams to consider player character * Could Mike Trout break Barry Bonds' walk record? * Pitching appearances with the most pitches per out recorded * MLB moral sins * Weather control hypothetical * Assigning player success: organizations vs. pure talent Intro Yo La Tengo, "Friday I'm in Love" Outro The Kinks, "there's a Change in the Weather" Email Questions * Corey: "Prior to the All-Star game, a few media members went on rants that centered on relievers and closers with 40 to 100 innings pitched of good to great performance. While I can understand the argument, where's the cutoff? When do we call them elite? What would it take for you to replace a Zach Britton with a Kimbrel, for example?" * Trevor (Vancouver, Canada): "Robbie Ross has been trying to catch home run balls with his hat from the bullpen and I think he's already caught five. Tommy Lane said they had a bet that he wouldn't get four the entire season and Ross is clearly going all out on these catches. Something about seeing a player in the bullpen rush to catch a ball in his hat makes me laugh, especially considering that I could see him getting hurt which could make the whole thing ridiculous. As far as originality goes, I couldn't remember seeing a player be so dedicated to something like this. So I say it passes the baseball player being funny test. Would you say so?" * Eric: "While not confirmed, there was some discussion of Aroldis Chapman agreeing to or negotiating for an extension with the Cubs before the trade with the Yankees was completed. In deals like this I've often seen analysts postulate that teams would be foolish to consider this factor when providing compensation even if the acquiring team wouldn't complete the trade without the extension. I struggle to wrap my head around this viewpoint and believe that may be conflating two separate things. They're right that only the selling team is trading away what's on the contract, so they should theoretically not get more than that would be worth. However the buying team really is getting more." * Jen: "What if, in addition to the current fines and suspensions of players, teams incurred a penalty for having players with major infractions on their rosters? For example, Chapman's domestic violence suspension triggers a $500,000 yearly penalty for the team he plays for, paid to the league and earmarked to support efforts to prevent domestic violence. It's clunky, but the idea is to force teams to always consider the character factor because it has an explicit price." * Evan: "Let's say the Angels do dismantle the team for dozens of prospects, leaving Mike Trout to act as 25 year old team dad with 20ish replacement players. Does he break Barry Bonds' walk record sometime in the next three years?" * Steven: "Which team committed the most morally grievous sin? The Cardinals for hacking, the Red Sox for packaging international prospects, or the Braves for bilking taxpayers?" * Trevin: "Last week there were quite a few rain delays around baseball. So, if a team could control the weather would it provide any competitive advantage over the rest of the league? How would a team use this newfound power?" * Emmett: "I was thinking about player development and the different ways in which players find success. While there are many instances of players thriving from the moment they are drafted, there are other times where nobody's make certain adjustment or tweaks and turn into stars. At the same time many highly touted prospects flame out immediately after being drafted or on their way to the majors. So how much of player success in general do you believe is circumstantial? That is, if ever major leaguer started their professional career over, how many would still reach the majors? 80%? 85%? There doesn't seem to be any quantitative way to attack this, but how much of a player's success should be credited to their organization's development as opposed to their innate talent and personal approach." Play Index * Sam uses the Play Index to find out the most number of pitches per length of appearance (ie most pitches per out recorded). * In July of 2003 Paul Wilson started a game where he threw 41 pitches without recording an out. * In 1997 Bartolo Colon threw 61 pitches to get 2 outs. Notes * Sam worries that effectively setting a price for signing a player with known character issues (such as Aroldis Chapman) that it would 'absolve' teams of any moral concern since they could point to having made charitable donations or paying penalties. * Ben and Sam think Mike Trout would be too much of a stolen base threat to get walked enough to matc Bonds' record. * Sam thinks that a bad team that can control the weather would win at least 135 games. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 933: Your Most Elite Emails Category:Episodes Category:Email Episodes